Beumer Group and Fraunhofer IML
Joint enterprise lab for mobile robotics
At the end of 2025, the Beumer Group entered into a strategic innovation partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML. The core of the collaboration is a three-year joint "Enterprise Lab" for the development of mobile robots.
In the Enterprise Lab, scientists from Fraunhofer IML are working side by side with experts from the Beumer Group to develop a scalable platform for mobile robotics (MR). The collaboration is taking place at the Fraunhofer IML in Dortmund, in the direct vicinity of the Beumer site there. In addition to the expertise of the scientists involved, the Fraunhofer IML is providing its research infrastructure, including test areas. The format of this research cooperation enables close integration of industry and science: Beumer receives direct access to the latest research results and laboratory facilities, while Fraunhofer experts can work with their new industrial partner to bring specific developments and products to market maturity.
With five full-time positions, Fraunhofer IML will work on the joint research project as part of the lab over the next three years. Together with Beumer, a team is being created to build a robust platform for mobile robots.
"Instead of setting up an isolated island laboratory, with the Fraunhofer Enterprise Lab we are using a proven format to incorporate external cutting-edge research directly into our product development. This allows us to significantly accelerate our projects in the field of mobile robotics and offer our customers innovative solutions even faster," explains Volker Jungbluth, Chief Technology Officer of the Beumer Group.
The new platform will serve as a technological basis for various applications. The platform will be based on standardized onboard controllers, sensor technology, localization and fleet management in order to leverage synergies and reduce development costs. The partners will draw up a clearly defined development roadmap. This will allow new technologies from the lab to be quickly transferred to pilot projects and product improvements at Beumer, from sorting robots for parcel centers to smart baggage transporters for airports.
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